The new cultivar was discovered by the inventor, Johannes Vergeldt, a citizen of the Netherlands in July of 1999 as a naturally occurring, whole plant mutation in a commercial nursery in Lottum, the Netherlands. The parent variety is an unnamed variety of Miscanthus giganteus. 
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘Lottum’ was first performed in Lottum, the Netherlands by vegetative division in June 2006. Subsequently, at least 6 generations of ‘Lottum’ have been reproduced and have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.